the tradition we call Easter began in the 13th century in pre-Christian Germany

with the worship of the goddess Eostra.

I think Wikipedia explains this connection better

because they have extended quotes from Jacob Grimm,

commonly recognized as the compiler of fairy tales,

but also a philologist, a respected scholar who studied language and learning.

Here is Wikipedia's excerpt from Grimm's 1835 "Deutsche Mythologie":

Ostara, Eástre seems therefore to have been the divinity of the radiant dawn, of upspringing light, a spectacle that brings joy and blessing, whose meaning could be easily adapted by the resurrection-day of the christian's God. Bonfires were lighted at Easter and according to popular belief of long standing, the moment the sun rises on Easter Sunday morning, he gives three joyful leaps, he dances for joy ... Water drawn on the Easter morning is, like that at Christmas, holy and healing ... here also heathen notions seems to have grafted themselves on great christian festivals. Maidens clothed in white, who at Easter, at the season of returning spring, show themselves in clefts of the rock and on mountains, are suggestive of the ancient goddess.

﻿and as for the eggs, candies, and pastries, Grimm writes:

﻿The heathen Easter had much in common with May-feast

and the reception of spring, particularly in matter of bonfires.

Then, through long ages there seem to have lingered among the people

Easter-games so-called, which the church itself had to tolerate:

I allude especially to the custom of Easter eggs,

and to the Easter tale which preachers told from the pulpit

for the people's amusement, connecting it with Christian reminiscences.

Grimm comments on further Easter time customs,

including unique sword dances

and particular baked goods, calling these pastry of heathenish form.

I wonder if Grimm was thinking of something like this

bunny cake. I make it for Easter occasionallybecause it reminds me of baking with my mom.

﻿ But where is the Easter bunny in this historical perspective?

Here is some information about the egg-bringing bunny

I found on a web site called I Love India (of all places). The link no longer works, but here is what it said when I accessed it in April 2012:

Eostre, the goddess of the dawn and fertility,

found an injured bird one bitterly cold winter, so she changed the bird

into a hare so that it could recuperate better. But the transformed hare retained

some of its true nature--the egg-laying part. After the hare was well again,

it always layed eggs and colored them to give to the goddess as a gift of gratitude.

I like that explanation, and it's as good as any that I've heard.Much of the Easter tradition is rooted in concepts of fertility, re-birth, and joy.

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

March 19th is the day the swallows return to San Juan Capistrano Mission,
or at least to the high rise office buildings nearby(see the Still Waters blog post for March 19, 2012).

In the Catholic religion,
March 19th is also the Feast of St. Joseph, the carpenter,
who was the earthly father of Jesus of Nazareth.

St. Teresa of Avila believed that St. Joseph interceded
on her behalf many times.
This may explain the modern practice of burying a statue of St. Joseph
in the yard of a house one wishes to sell.
St. Joseph's reputation for intercession may also explain
why the sisters of the Loretto Chapel in Santa Fe, New Mexico
prayed for his help in the 1870s when they needed
someone to build a staircase that could reach
the chapel's 22-foot high choir loft.

photo of choir loft and staircase from http://www.santafenm.info/churches.html
The carpenters who built the chapel told the sisters that a ladder
would have to be built to access the choir
because a staircase would take up too much space in the small chapel.
But a ladder would not do, so the sisters began to pray.
On the 9th day of their prayers, a man appeared with a donkey and some tools
and asked the sisters if they had any work.
Months later the sisters had a beautiful spiral staircase,
but the man, his work finished, had departed without asking for pay or thanks.

photo from http://www.lorettochapel.com/staircase.html

The staircase is a work of art and incredible craftsmanship.
Besides its having been built by an unknown carpenter,
the staircase has no visible means of support, has no nails,
and is made from a type of cold-climate spruce wood
not native to New Mexico.
It has never been more specifically identified.

photo from http://www.lorettochapel.com/staircase.html

I have been to the Loretto Chapel and seen the staircase.
It was a hot day when I visited, but the the sandstone walls kept the chapel cool.
The chapel was dimly lit, but the white Gothic-style altar glowed.
The dark wooden staircase really stood out in contrast to the rest of the chapel.
Flickering candlelight, cool quiet, a mystery staircase
that some believe was crafted by St. Joseph himself--
all added up to a beautiful respite from Santa Fe's summer heat.
But the best part of the experience was seeing the miracle staircase in person.

The staircase was originally built without railings;
those were added for safety reasons some time after construction.
The following image is on a postcard that is sold in the museum gift shop.
I copied it from http://myplacetoyours.blogspot.com/2011/12/carpenter-and-staircase.html.
The blog can be accessed here for more photos of the staircase:The Carpenter and the Staircase

I love the legend of a mysterious stranger who appears
in answer to a prayer.
I read once that the universe is full of helpers and friends.
And maybe too, an occasional angel that arrives just when we need one.
<>